Police on the run as rioters attack banks in Ogun
Raymond Osho
There was unrest in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital on Tuesday as rioters attacked banks and security operatives deployed to scenes of the attacks, following the current scarcity of money across the nation.
Fackt news gathered that the angry rioters, had emerged from the Asero area where they attacked the GTB earlier in the morning, destroying the bank’s security doors and windows.
Armed with stones, cutlasses, logs of wood and other deadly objects, the monster-looking rioters headed toward the Sapon area where they descended heavily on the First Bank opposite the Sapon Market and vandalised it.
An eye witness who spoke to newsmen at the scene disclosed that the rioters attempted to set the bank ablaze but were prevented by security operatives who were deployed to the venue to forestall the attack.
His words “They came this morning and attacked the bank. They even tried to set the bank on fire but the police stopped them.
Traders in the area promptly locked their shops to escape attack.
Shortly after calmness rented the scene, the hoodlums who had earlier been chased aways by police returned in full force, emerging from Ago’ka with some secondary school boys in uniform who had added to their number.
All effort, including sporadic shootings by the police to scare them away proved abortive as they (police) were overwhelmed by the hoodlums who furiously attacked them with stones and other harmful objects.
The police operatives who could no longer control the situation narrowly escaped the scene in their patrol vehicle.
Some of the rioters who spoke to Fackt News said “We are tired of the situation, we are suffering, we have money in banks but we cannot withdraw. We will destroy all the banks. We are tired of this!
Another said “Government wants to kill us and banks too are not helping.
Another eyewitness at the scene who identified herself as Adijat said “My children have been at home for three days because there is not money for me to transport them to school. We are finding it difficult to feed ourselves. We are tired of the while thing”.
Earlier, the rioters had ridden on bikes to Oke -Ilewo, in Ibara where numbers of banks are situated to attack the banks in the area but were prevented by anti riot security operatives.
All banks in the area promptly shot down when news of the impending attack got to them.
